Ekl october 2016

Editor’s Desk

The Important Things in Life Chief Editor

N T Nair FIE Life Senior Member, IEEE ntnair@gmail.com

Managing Editor

James K Joseph IA&AS (Retd) james_kjoseph@yahoo.co.in

Consultant Editor

K Kalyanasundaram

Director, Excell Career India Chennai kalyan.excell@gmail.com

Editorial Office: eklines@gmail.com

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.” “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.”

“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines3

History Line

Mahatma Gandhi Life and Struggle for India Early Years Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in Porbandar in the present day state of Gujarat in India on October 2, 1869. He was raised in a very conservative family that had affiliations with the ruling family of Kathiawad. He was educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay, without much success. Two years later an Indian firm with interests in South Africa retained him as legal adviser in its office in Durban. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race. He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians.

Resistance to Injustice Gandhi remained in South Africa for twenty years, suffering imprisonment many times. In 1896, after being attacked and humiliated by white South Africans, Gandhi began to teach a policy of passive resistance to, and non-cooperation with, the South African authorities. Part of the inspiration for this policy came from the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, whose influence on Gandhi was profound. Gandhi also acknowledged his debt to the teachings of Christ and to the 19th-century American writer Henry David Thoreau, especially to Thoreau's famous essay "Civil Disobedience." Gandhi considered the terms passive resistance and civil disobedience inadequate for his purposes, however, and coined another term, Satyagraha (from Sanskrit, "truth and firmness"). During the Boer War, Gandhi organized an ambulance corps for the British army and commanded a Red Cross unit. After the war he returned to his campaign for Indian rights. In 1910, he founded Tolstoy Farm, near Durban, a cooperative colony for Indians. In 1914 the government of the Union of South Africa made important concessions to Gandhi's demands, including recognition of Indian marriages and abolition of the poll tax for them.

His work in South Africa complete, he returned to India.

4Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Campaign for Home Rule Gandhi became a leader in a complex struggle, the Indian campaign for home rule. Following World War I, in which he played an active part in recruiting campaigns, Gandhi, again advocating Satyagraha, launched his movement of non-violent resistance to Great Britain. When, in 1919, Parliament passed the Rowlatt Acts, giving the Indian colonial authorities emergency powers to deal with so-called revolutionary activities, Satyagraha spread throughout India, gaining millions of followers. A demonstration against the Rowlatt Acts resulted in a massacre of Indians at Amritsar by British soldiers; in 1920, when the British government failed to make amends, Gandhi proclaimed an organized campaign of non-cooperation. Indians in public office resigned, government agencies such as courts of law were boycotted, and Indian children were withdrawn from government schools. Throughout India, streets were blocked by squatting Indians who refused Wto rise even when beaten by police.

Gandhi was arrested, but the British were soon forced to release him.

Economic independence for India, involving the complete boycott of British goods, was made a corollary of Gandhi's Swaraj (from Sanskrit, "self-governing") movement. The economic aspects of the movement were significant, for the exploitation of Indian villagers by British industrialists had resulted in extreme poverty in the country and the virtual destruction of Indian home industries. As a remedy for such poverty, Gandhi advocated revival of cottage industries; he began to use a spinning wheel as a token of the return to the simple village life he preached, and of the renewal of native Indian industries.

Gandhi became the international symbol of a free India. He lived a spiritual and ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and meditation. His union with his wife became, as he himself stated, that of a brother and sister. Refusing earthly possessions, he wore the loincloth and shawl of the lowliest Indian and subsisted on vegetables, fruit juices, and goat's milk. Indians revered him as a saint and began to call him Mahatma (great-souled), a title reserved for the greatest sages. Gandhi's advocacy of nonviolence, known as ahimsa (non-violence), was the expression of a way of life implicit in the Hindu religion. By the Indian practice of nonviolence, Gandhi held, Great Britain too would eventually consider violence useless and would leave India.

The Mahatma's political and spiritual hold on India was so great that the British authorities dared not interfere with him. In 1921 the Indian October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines5

National Congress, the group that spearheaded the movement for nationhood, gave Gandhi complete executive authority, with the right of naming his own successor. The Indian population, however, could not fully comprehend the unworldly ahimsa. A series of armed revolts against the British broke out, culminating in such violence that Gandhi confessed the failure of the civil-disobedience campaign he had called, and ended it. The British government again seized and imprisoned him in 1922.

After his release from prison in 1924, Gandhi withdrew from active politics and devoted himself to propagating communal unity. Unavoidably, however, he was again drawn into the vortex of the struggle for independence. In 1930 the Mahatma proclaimed a new campaign of civil disobedience, calling upon the Indian population to refuse to pay taxes, particularly the tax on salt. The campaign was a march to the sea, in which thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea, where they made salt by evaporating sea water. Once more the Indian leader was arrested, but he was released in 1931, halting the campaign after the British made concessions to his demands. In the same year Gandhi represented the Indian National Congress at a conference in London.

Gandhi takes on Domestic Problems In 1932, Gandhi began new civil -disobedience campaigns against the British. Arrested twice, the Mahatma fasted for long periods several times; these fasts were effective measures against the British, because revolution might well have broken out in India if he had died. In September 1932, while in jail, Gandhi undertook a "fast unto death" to improve the status of the Hindu Untouchables. The British, by permitting the Untouchables to be considered as a separate part of the Indian electorate, were, according to Gandhi, countenancing an injustice. Although he was himself a member of an upper caste, Gandhi was the great leader of the movement in India dedicated to eradicating the unjust social and economic aspects of the caste system.

In 1934, Gandhi formally resigned from politics, being replaced as leader of the Congress party by Jawaharlal Nehru. Gandhi traveled through India, teaching ahimsa and demanding eradication of "untouchability." The esteem in which he was held was the measure of his political power. So great was this power that the limited home rule granted by the British in 1935 could not be implemented until Gandhi approved it. A few years later, in 1939, he again returned to active political life because of the pending federation of Indian principalities with the rest of India.

6Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

His first act was a fast, designed to force the ruler of the state of Rajkot to modify his autocratic rule. Public unrest caused by the fast was so great that the colonial government intervened; the demands were granted. The Mahatma again became the most important political figure in India.

Independence for India When World War II broke out, the Congress party and Gandhi demanded a declaration of war aims and their application to India. As a reaction to the unsatisfactory response from the British, the party decided not to support Britain in the war unless the country were granted complete and immediate independence. The British refused, offering compromises that were rejected. When Japan entered the war, Gandhi still refused to agree to Indian participation. He was interned in 1942 but was released two years later because of failing health.

By 1944 the Indian struggle for independence was in its final stages, the British government having agreed to independence on condition that the two contending nationalist groups, the Muslim League and the Congress party, should resolve their differences. Gandhi stood steadfastly against the partition of India but ultimately had to agree, in the hope that internal peace would be achieved after the Muslim demand for separation had been satisfied. India and Pakistan became separate states when the British granted India its independence in 1947. During the riots that followed the partition of India, Gandhi pleaded with Hindus and Muslims to live together peacefully. Riots engulfed Calcutta, one of the largest cities in India, and the Mahatma fasted until disturbances ceased. On January 13, 1948, he undertook another successful fast in New Delhi to bring about peace, but on January 30, 12 days after the termination of that fast, as he was on his way to his evening prayer meeting, he was assassinated by a fanatic Hindu.

Gandhi's death was regarded as an international catastrophe. His place in humanity was measured not in terms of the 20th century, but in terms of history. A period of mourning was set aside in the United Nations General Assembly, and condolences to India were expressed by all countries.

Religious violence soon waned in India and Pakistan, and the teachings of Gandhi came to inspire nonviolent movements elsewhere, notably in the U.S.A. under the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and in South Africa under Nelson Mandela.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines7

Management Line

Making Smart Decisions

Discipline for Decision Making Leaders and managers are essentially problem solvers, solution finders and decision makers. Decision-making is the toughest and riskiest job of any executive as pointed out by Hammond, Keeney & Raiffa in ‘The Hidden Traps of Decision-making’. Business leaders are called upon to make important decisions such as mergers and acquisitions, investments, recruitment or laying off of employees, filing for bankruptcy or shutting down a business. Governments have to make decisions concerning foreign relations and foreign policy, monetary and fiscal policy, collection and use of public funds for various schemes and on various issues that emerge and pose a crisis from time to time. This also involves the decision to go for a war against an enemy country. There were questions whether President George W. Bush’s decision to declare war on Iraq to destroy the mythical weapons of mass destruction, was the right decision and a well-considered one.

The decisions that managers make, impact their organizations, groups or teams in various ways, either positively or negatively. Bad decisions may cause irreparable harm. If decisions are made unethically, in an adhoc manner, in a prejudiced and biased manner, or based on irrelevant considerations, the outcome also will adversely impact organizational performance and effectiveness. A well-considered decision that is made in a timely manner may help an organization to tide over a crisis.

Even at the individual level, every person’s life is full of decisions made at critical junctures of life. This includes one’s education, profession, career, marriage, employment, friendships, use of time, leisure, or entertainment.

Like Hamlet, we are often faced with the dilemma: should I or should I not?

The question boils down to this: How can leaders and managers, and individuals make smart decisions?

1. Decision-Making Process Decision-making has been considered a black-box, the unquestioned prerogative of an individual at the top, who usually uses his intuition, experience, wisdom or usually the power and authority to make decisions.

Can this process be improved?

8Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

The first step is to define the objectives of the decision to be made. Decision-making is to be considered within the constraints of the objectives defined and the decision-making framework that supports the objectives.

Is money-making the objective, or is it providing value to the customer and sustainability or making an impact on the economy and society at large? The ultimate questions to be asked by the decision maker are:  What are the goals to be achieved by this decision? What is the problem to be solved?  What are all the solution options? What are the costs and benefits?

What are the risks?  What will be the impact of the decision on various stakeholders? What are the pros and cons of the decision?  Which option will best improve the situation or solve the problem?

Constraints may be imposed by available resources and time-frame for making the decision.

After a decision is made, it must be monitored for its effectiveness.

Based on feedback, corrective action must be taken.

2. Decision-Making Techniques There are various techniques that can be effectively used by a decision maker.

Intuitive Decision-Making Malcolm Gladwell in his book ‘Blink’ describes the power of thinking without thinking, which essentially is intuitive decision-making. He relies on neuroscience and psychology. Jonah Lehrer also examines the psycho-biology of decision-making in his book ‘How We Decide’. Lehrer exposes the limits of rationality.

According to Gladwell, good decision-making involves focusing on a few essential details, instead of having too much information leading to information paralysis.

Gladwell stresses the point that decisions must not be made under duress or stress, but in a calm environment. The idea of taking a deep breath or sleeping over an issue before deciding would apply here. The whole idea stressed by Gladwell and Lehrer is that our human mind toggles back and forth between the conscious and the subconscious in the thinking and decision-making process. Gladwell focuses on the rapid cognition process or the hunch. Since our subconscious is fallible because of our instincts, what Gladwell calls ‘the adaptive subconscious’ can be educated and controlled to make snap decisions that are as effective as decisions that are delayed.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines9

The Wisdom of The Crowds James Suroweicki in his book ‘The Wisdom of the Crowds’ advocated group decision-making and participation of stakeholders. Harnessing the wisdom of the crowds, is a technique effectively used by successful managers. Great leaders consult experts before they take crucial decisions.

Smart managers make informed decisions, considering the facts and circumstances of each case and after gathering enough data including opinions of stakeholders and teams that are impacted. They invite constructive criticism. Constructive conflict, dissent and debate are part of this process. When decision-making is delegated, the delegation is accompanied by empowered and clear roles and responsibilities and with accountability built in.

Analytical Decision-Making Ian Ayres in ‘Super Crunchers’ and Thomas Davenport in ‘Competing on Analytics’ deal with automated and analytical decision-making. Analytical decision-making is based on relevant facts and data. Usually automated decision support tools are used.

In criminal justice systems, a judge decides on a case, based on facts and circumstances of a case. The judge evaluates the evidence supporting those facts and circumstances and linking the accused persons. Crime investigators also follow a similar process. They have to start with an open mind, analyze the allegations, and identify facts and circumstances of the case. The questions to be asked are whether a crime has been committed and if so who is responsible for the crime. The evidence collected to establish the crime and to link the accused persons with the crime is then analyzed for relevancy, credibility, and sufficiency to prosecute the accused in a court of law. In criminal cases, the yardstick for judgmental conclusion is proof beyond all shadow of reasonable doubt and not preponderance of probability as in civil litigation.

3. Where Decision-Making Fails Some of the bad decisions in recent history are mentioned by Thomas Davenport in ‘Make Better Decisions’. Some examples are:  The decision by USA to invade Iraq (2003) 10Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

 Investment and securitization of sub-prime mortgage loans that led to the housing market collapse and the global economic downturn (2007-2009)  Time Warner buying AOL (2000)  Yahoo deciding not to sell itself to Microsoft (2008).

Bad decision makers are like those who toss a coin and take a chance in what they do. Bad decisions can be traced to flawed information, not considering alternatives, not evaluating costs and benefits, or decisions resulting from whimsical nature of the decision-maker.

Bad decisions are influenced by various factors: wrong advice, wrong facts, status quo, prejudices, bias, and noise, or irrelevant considerations.

A manager has to keep an open mind, consider different alternatives to problem resolution, and also seek independent advice from several persons such as experts, before taking a decision in a particular situation.

Unethical Decisions At the other end of the spectrum, we can see managers making rash or dishonest decisions that throw the enterprise over the cliff, as in the ENRON case or in the securitization of sub-prime mortgage loans.

There cannot be any compromise of ethics in decision-making.

Cognitive Bias in Decision-Making The idea of cognitive bias in decision-making was examined by Daniel Kahneman and others. Kahneman received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2002 for his work on behavioral economics of decision-making.

Prof. Kahneman’s book ‘Thinking Fast & Slow’ details the various biases that cloud one’s judgement and decision-making. Among these are emotional tags, motivated errors, self-interested bias, and over-confidence. He contrasts a fast, intuitive and emotional system with a slower, more deliberative, and more logical system. These two systems shape our judgments and decisions. He solicits dissenting views before making a decision. He advocates slow thinking in contrast to fast intuitive thinking. Contrast this with Gladwell’s ‘blink’ approach that relies on ‘adaptive subconscious’ for fast thinking.

Professors Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book ‘Decisive- How To Make Better Choices in Life and Work’ lists the four villains of decision-making. They are: narrow framing, confirmation bias, emotions and overconfidence. Their findings are in tune with the cognitive bias elucidated by Prof. Kahneman.

4. Special Situations Decision-Making Under Uncertainty Decision-making always involves a certain element of uncertainty and risk. It is the manager’s experience, wisdom and courage that ultimately determines whether the decisions are made well or otherwise.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines11

The Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) space shuttle tragedies could have been avoided if decision-making was based on risk management principles. 'Informed' decision-making still holds good. To avoid disasters, it is worthwhile to remember not to ignore warning signals or the smoking gun.

BP Gulf Oil Rig disaster (2010) also teaches us not to ignore tell-tale signs of an impending disaster. Risk assessment mechanisms involving existence and effectiveness of preventive, detective and corrective controls, must be part of any monitoring system. Such mechanisms would reduce uncertainty.

Decision-Making Under Crisis Sometimes decision-making may have to be done in a crisis situation such as the 2001 9/11 terrorist attack. In some crisis situation cases, managers are known to be indecisive, not bold enough to take a decision, or even not bold enough to own up a decision once made. Crisis situations call for great leadership and effective response mechanisms to respond to the crisis situation, to take immediate corrective action, and to reduce the impact of the adverse event.

War situations require commanders to make quick decisions under high pressure with limited information. This is similar to what happens on the trading floor of an investment bank. How do you make tough split-second decisions?

Crisis situations require prompt and effective decision-making that would help to tide over the hurtful situation. The decision maker has to remain calm and positive and must take control of the situation. He or she must take effective steps and mobilize teams to defuse the situation. Sizing up and analyzing the situation is an important step to identify action required. For example, in a train or aircraft accident case or bomb blast case, the victims dead or injured may have to be attended to urgently. The traffic must be restored and the stranded passengers taken care of. The causes that led to the situation must be analyzed to identify future action for preventive, detective and corrective measures.

In all these situations, the decision maker has to ask crucial questions, listen to people and consider various points of view and make considered and informed decisions.

Decision Support Tools Various decision support tools are available today. Mind-mapping is a good tool to use for breaking down complex points and to organize and sort facts.

This gives a visual idea of how the various facts are connected. Facts and ideas can be grouped together and linked, to prioritize areas for decision-making.

12Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Decision Tree Approach A decision tree approach is best suited in situations such as medical diagnosis considering various risk factors. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems and Knowledge-Based Systems are also used to support decision-making.

Today big data (or unstructured data) and data analytics, are also used for identifying patterns in voluminous data in complex decision-making scenarios. IBM Watson (with the same deep learning technology used by Deep Blue to defeat Gary Kasparov) is now commercially deployed for cancer prediction and also in stock market investment analysis, where massive data is involved.

5. Conclusion In hindsight one can identify decisions that were not made well. We often feel: I should have considered that, or I missed this point. We identify our ‘blind spots’ only later.

Making a right decision or a better decision at the relevant point in time when decision has to be made in the face of various uncertainties is the toughest task. A combination of gathering facts and analytics, consulting with experts or trusted advisers, well trained intuition or relying on that inner voice and use of decision-making tools could help a decision maker to take well-considered and better decisions both at the organizational and at the individual levels.

Very often the timing of the decision made is important and makes the decision valuable. A manager must exhibit courage and grit in taking quick and well-informed, well-considered decisions at the opportune time, weighing the risks and impact involved. Gladwell makes the point that our mind can be trained to make snap and correct decisions using our adaptive subconscious mind, training our mind to remain calm, have an open mind without prejudice or bias.

It sometimes requires courage to make smart decisions. Managers who are indecisive or who pass the buck are a common sight in corporations. Indecisiveness and unethical decision-making must be avoided. Organizations must build safeguards against errors of judgment or dishonest decision-making.

Smart decisions are supported by data and justification, where risks and benefits are evaluated, and the decisions are devoid of bias. Smart decision makers widen their options, perform a reality-check of their assumptions and they are prepared to be wrong. They set up a trip wire and have an escape plan or Plan B, if things do not go as expected.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines13

There is a risk associated with every decision. The smartness is in reducing the risk and in having protective mechanisms to identify failures early with early warning systems to minimize the impact of decisions that go awry.

[Joseph Ponnoly is a Management Consultant and cyber security expert focusing on IT risk and compliance management. He is based in Houston TX USA.]

Mahatma Gandhi Words of Wisdom

• A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him.

He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.

• The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.

• I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away.

• The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

• A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

• As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.

• To forgive and accept injustice is cowardice.

• Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness... It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

• Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

14Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Ethics Line

Ethics and Good Governance Malady and Remedy

More than six decades have elapsed since independence. We find gloomy picture everywhere except some places here and there. The exploitation, poverty, social exclusion, caste and class clashes, deprivation of women from access to resources and compassions are common. Occurrence of communal tensions has also become almost regular phenomenon. Holy books of various religions tell as how to live in peace and harmony in daily life. But these teachings could not become a way of life of the people.

Seeing the importance of ethics in public life, the Fourth Report of the Second Administrative Commission (ARC) which was published in 2007 is on the theme of “Ethics in Governance”. The importance of the subject has also been enhanced with the inclusion of ethics, morality and attitudes as one of the subjects of the Civil Service Exams.

Concepts of Ethics and Corruption The word ‘ethics’ is derived from the Greek term ethikos, which means ‘arising from habit’. With the passage of time, such habits would become a set of rules and standards that guide behaviour, choices and actions of the society. However, what the second ARC said in this regard is worth quoting: “The Commission is painfully aware that standards do not, by themselves, ensure ethical behaviour; that requires a robust culture of integrity. The crux of ethical behaviour does not lie in bold words and expressions enshrined as standards, but in their adoption in action, in sanctions against their violations, in putting in place competent disciplinary bodies to investigate allegations of violations and impose sanctions quickly and in promoting a culture of integrity”.

Integrity connote that a public authority must protect itself from extraneous influences in matter concerning official duties. What causes weak integrity of the people is corruption, which is a major sign of the failure of ethics in public life. The word ‘corrupt’ is from the original Latin word ‘Corruptus’, which means ‘to break or destroy’. IT is really October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines15

tragic that corruption for many has become habits ranging from big corruption cases involving persons in high places to retail corruption touching the everyday life of common man.

The Second ARC pointed out that four factors namely (i) colonial legacy of unchallenged authority and propensity to exercise power arbitrarily (ii) asymmetrical power structure of society in the early decades after independence (iii) the Indian state chose a set of policies whose unintended consequences was to put the citizen at the mercy of the state and (iv) over centralization, aggravated corruption and abuse of office. Although 73rd and 74th amendments to the constitution were legal steps towards decentralization and local governments have also been constituted, these institutions as the ARC says are not allowed to take root because power has been concentrated both horizontally and vertically in a few hands, which resulted in weakened citizenry and mounting corruption.

Awarding of contracts for public works and procurement of goods and services, recruitment of employees, evasion of taxes, substandard projects, collusive violation of regulations, adulteration of foods and drugs, obstruction of justice and concealing or doctoring evidence in investigation are examples of such dangerous forms of corruption.

Concept of Good Governance The concept of governance is as old as our human civilization. In common paralance, governance means the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented. According to the Human Development Report governance means “the exercise of power or authority-political, economic, administration or otherwise to manage a country’s resources and affairs”. The UN Economic & Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific holds “Good Governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the view of minorities is taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable sections in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society”.

In nutshell, good governance entails implementation of rules of law which means practicing true democracy which bring about enabling 16Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

environment conducive to the enjoyment of Human Rights and promoting growth and sustainable human development.

In brief, to bring about ethics governance, the menace of corruption has to be eliminated from the body-politics and society. Only this way Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Purna Swaraj could be established in real sense.

Ushering in Ethical Governance It is clear from above that ethical governance means application of rules of the law and for that corruption has to become anathema.

But what is the reality in this regard is clear from what Second ARC admitted “Anti-corruption interventions so far made are seen to be ineffectual and there is widespread public cynicism about them. The interventions are seen as mere posturing without any real intention to bring the corrupt to book. They are also seen as handy weapons for partisan, political use to harass opponents. Corruption is so deeply entrenched in the system that most people regard corruption as inevitable and any effort to fight it as futile. This cynicism is spreading so fast it bodes ill for our democratic system itself ”.

The menace of corruption has to be uprooted in bringing about ethical governance. There are two way to deal with this issue. First, emphasis on values and character building. Second, most of the people are law abiding, decent and socially conscious. However, there is a small number of people who cannot reconcile individual goals with the good of society. It is assumed that if those who consistently follow the rule of the law are rewarded and those who do not follow are punished, most the people will follow right path, which in turn will usher in ethical governance. Conversely, if those who follow rules are not only not rewarded but faced with difficulties and those who do not follow rule of law are not only not punished but often rewarded, then most of the people would not follow rule of the law.

Efforts Towards Ethical Governance It is evident from the experience of more than six decades that various measures have been taken to curb corruption in the country. It is also gathered from the experience that where competition, choices, technology, (e-governance) and transparency introduced corruption was significantly contained in the country. Access to information October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines17

and computerization like railway reservation and driving licenses have made services corruption free. Further as mentioned the ARC: “Right to Information, effective citizens’ charters, opportunity and incentives to promote proactive approach to citizens, stake-holders’ involvement in delivery of public services, public consultation in decision making and social auditing have dramatically curbed corruption and promoted integrity and quality of decision making”.

Ethics in governance has wider implication than happening in different arms of the Government. In this regard, ARC has pointed out that “an across-the-board effort is needed to fight deviations from ethical norms. Such an effort needs to include corporate ethics in business; in fact, there should be a paradigm shift from the pejorative ‘business ethics’ to ‘ethics in business’. There is need for ethics in every profession, voluntary organization and civil society structure as these entities are now vitally involved in the process of governance. Finally, there should be ethics in citizen behaviour because such behaviour impinges directly on ethics in government and administration”.

A code of conduct has to be evolved in this regard. Justice Y K Sabharwal former Chief Justice of India’s words about code of conduct are worth mentioning here who said that: “The common features of the Code of Conduct for different categories of Government servants include expectation that he shall maintain absolute integrity; devotion to duty; do nothing which is unbecoming of a public office held by him; render his best judgment in the performance of his official duties be prompt and courteous; not involve himself in acts of moral turpitude; not take part in party politics; not be associated with activities that are pre-judicial to the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India or public order; not to engage himself in interviews with media, except with the lawful authority of his superiors; not divulge official information which has been entrusted to him in confidence; not accept pecuniary advantage, in particular, from those with whom he is involved in official duties; not to engage himself in private trade or business while holding public office; not to indulge in alcoholism or gambling; to manage his financial affairs in such a manner that he is always free from indebtedness and not to involve persons having official dealings with him”.

18Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Ethics Line

Seven Deadly Sins

In The Eyes of The Mahatma "Dr. Stephen R. Covey - one of the world's leading management consultants and author of the best selling book The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People - is co-chairman of Franklin Covey located in Salt Lake City, Utah in the U.S.A. Franklin Covey provides consultancy services to Fortune 500 companies as well as thousand of small and mid-size companies, educational institutions, government and other organisations worldwide. Their work in Principle Centered Leadership is considered to be an instrumental foundation to the effectiveness of quality, leadership, service, team building, organisational alignment and other strategic corporate initiatives.

Excerpts from Chapter 7 of the book list out the Seven Deadly Sins which according to Mahatma Gandhi will destroy us. They are the following: Wealth Without Work This refers to the practice of getting something for nothing - manipulating markets and assets so you don't have to work or produce added value, just manipulate people and things. Today there are professions built around making wealth without working, making much money without paying taxes, benefiting from free government programs without carrying a fair share of the financial burdens, and enjoying all the perks of citizenship of country and membership of corporation without assuming any of the risk or responsibility.

How many of the fraudulent schemes that went on in the 1980s, often called the decade of greed, were basically get-rich-quick schemes or speculations promising practitioners, "You don't even have to work for it"?

That is why I would be very concerned if one of my children went into speculative enterprises or if they learned how to make a lot of money fast without having to pay the price by adding value on a day-to-day basis.

Some network marketing and pyramidal organizations worry me because many people get rich quick by building a structure under them that feeds them without work. They are rationalized to the hilt; nevertheless the overwhelming emotional motive is often greed: "You can get rich without much work. You may have to work initially, but soon you can have wealth without work." New social moOctober 2016 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž19

res and norms are cultivated that cause distortions in their judgment.

Justice and judgment are inevitably inseparable, suggesting that to the degree you move away from the laws of nature, your judgment will be adversely affected. You get distorted notions. You start telling rational lies to explain why things work or why they don't. You move away from the law of "the farm" into social / political environments.

When we read of organisations in trouble, we often hear the sad confessions of executives who tell of moving away from natural laws and principles for a period of time and begin overbuilding, over borrowing, and over speculating, not really reading the stream or getting objective feedback, just hearing a lot of self-talk internally. Now they have a high debt to pay. They may have to work hard just to survive - without hope of being healthy for five years or more. It's back to the basics, hand to the plow.

And many of these executives, in earlier days, were critical of the conservative founders of the corporations who stayed close to the fundamentals and preferred to stay small and free of debt.

Pleasure Without Conscience The chief query of the immature, greedy, selfish, and sensuous has always been, "What's in it for me? Will this please me? Will it ease me?" Lately many people seem to want these pleasures without conscience or sense of responsibility, even abandoning or utterly neglecting spouses and children in the name of doing their thing. But independence is not the most mature state of being - it's only a middle position on the way to interdependence, the most advanced and mature state. To learn to give and take, to live selflessly, to be sensitive, to be considerate, is our challenge. Otherwise there is no sense of social responsibility or accountability in our pleasurable activities.

The ultimate costs of pleasures without conscience are high as measured in terms of time and money, in terms of reputation and in terms of wounding the hearts and minds of other people who are adversely affected by those who just want to indulge and gratify themselves in the short term. It's dangerous to be pulled or lulled away from natural law without conscience. Conscience is essentially the repository of timeless truths and principles - the internal monitor of natural law.

A prominent, widely published psychologist worked to align people with their moral conscience in what was called "integrity therapy." He once told me that he was a manic-depressive. "I knew I was getting suicidal," he said. "Therefore, I committed myself to a mental institution.

I tried to work out of it, neutralize it, until I reached the point where I could leave the hospital. I don't do clinical work now because it is too stressful. I mostly do research. And through my own struggle, I discov20ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽOctober 2016

ered that integrity therapy was the only way to go. I gave up my mistress, confessed to my wife, and had peace for the first time in my life.�

Pleasure without conscience is one of the key temptations for today's executives. Sometimes on airplanes I'll scan the magazines directed at executives, noting the advertisements. Many of these ads, perhaps two-thirds of them, invite executives to indulge themselves without conscience because they "deserve it" or have "earned it" or "want it," and why not "give in" and "let it all hang out"? The seductive message is, "You've arrived. You are now a law unto yourself. You don't need a conscience to govern you anymore." And in some ads you see sixty-year-old men with attractive thirty-year old women, the "significant others" who accompany some executives to conventions. Whatever happened to spouses? What happened to the social mores that make cheating on spouses illegitimate behaviour ?

Knowledge Without Character As dangerous as a little knowledge is, even more dangerous is much knowledge without a strong, principled character. Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs. Yet all too often in the academic world, that's exactly what we do by not focusing on the character development of young people.

One of the reasons I'm excited about taking the Seven Habits into the schools is that it is character education. Some people don't like character education because, they say, "that's your value system." But you can get a common set of values that everyone agrees on. It is not that difficult to decide, for example, that kindness, fairness, dignity, contribution, and integrity are worth keeping. No one will fight you on those. So let's start with values that are unarguable and infuse them in our education system and in our corporate training and development programs. Let's achieve a better balance between the development of character and intellect.

The people who are transforming education today are doing it by building consensus around a common set of principles, values, and priorities and debunking the high degree of specialization, departmentalization, and partisan politics.

Commerce (Business) Without Morality (Ethics) In his book Moral Sentiment, which preceded Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith explained how foundational to the success of our systems is the moral foundation : how we treat each other, the spirit of benevolence, of service, of contribution. If we ignore the moral foundation and allow economic systems to operate without moral foundation and without continued education, we will soon create an amoral, if not immoral, society and business.

October 2016 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž21

Economic and political systems are ultimately based on a moral foundation.

To Adam Smith, every business transaction is a moral challenge to see that both parties come out fairly. Fairness and benevolence in business are the underpinnings of the free enterprise system called capitalism.

Our economic system comes out of a constitutional democracy where minority rights are to be attended to as well. The spirit of the Golden Rule or of win-win is a spirit of morality, of mutual benefit, of fairness for all concerned. Paraphrasing one of the mottos of the Rotary Club, "Is it fair and does it serve the interests of all the stakeholders?"

That's just a moral sense of stewardship toward all of the stakeholders.

I like that Smith says every economic transaction. People get in trouble when they say that most of their economic transactions are moral. That means there is something going on that is covert, hidden, secret. People keep a hidden agenda, a secret life, and they justify and rationalize their activities.

They tell themselves rational lies so they don't have to adhere to natural laws.

If you can get enough rationalization in a society, you can have social mores or political wills that are totally divorced from natural laws and principles.

I once met a man who for five years served as the "ethics director" for a major aerospace company. He finally resigned the post in protest and considered leaving the company, even though he would lose a big salary and benefit package. He said that the executive team had their own separate set of business ethics and that they were deep into rationalization and justification. Wealth and power were big on their agendas, and they made no excuse for it anymore. They were divorced from reality even inside their own organization. They talked about serving the customer while absolutely mugging their own employees.

Science Without Humanity If science becomes all technique and technology, it quickly degenerates into man against humanity. Technologies come from the paradigms of science. And if there's very little understanding of the higher human purposes that the technology is striving to serve, we becomes victims of our own technocracy. We see otherwise highly educated people climbing the scientific ladder of success, even though it's often missing the rung called humanity and leaning against the wrong wall.

The majority of the scientists who ever lived or living today, and they have brought about a scientific and technological explosion in the world.

But if all they do is superimpose technology on the same old problems, nothing basic changes. We may see an evolution, an occasional "revolution" in science, but without humanity we see precious little real human advancement. All the old inequities and injustices are still with us.

22ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽOctober 2016

About the only thing that hasn't evolved are these natural laws and principles - the true north on the compass. Science and technology have changed the face of most everything else. But the fundamental things still apply, as time goes by.

Religion Without Sacrifice Without sacrifice we may become active in a church but remain inactive in its gospel. In other words, we go for the social facade of religion and the piety of religious practices. There is no real walking with people or going the second mile or trying to deal with our social problems that may eventually undo our economic system. It takes sacrifice to serve the needs of other people - the sacrifice of our own pride and prejudice, among other things.

If a church or religion is seen as just another hierarchical system, its members won't have a sense of service or inner workship. Instead they will be into outward observances and all the visible accoutrements of religion. But they are neither God-centered nor principle-centered.

The principles of three of the Seven Habits pertain to how we deal with other people, how we serve them, how we sacrifice for them, how we contribute. Habits 4, 5 and 6 - win-win interdependency, empathy, and synergy - require tremendous sacrifice. I've come to believe that they require a broken heart and a contrite spirit - and that, for some, is the ultimate sacrifice. For example, I once observed a marriage where there were frequent arguments. One thought came to me : "These two people must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit toward each other or this union will never last." You can't have a oneness, a unity, without humility. Pride and selfishness will destroy the union between man and god, between man and woman, between man and man, between self and self.

The great servant leaders have that humility, the hallmark of inner religion.

I know a few CEOs who are humble servant leaders - who sacrifice their pride and share their power - and I can say that their influence both inside and outside their companies is multiplied because of it. Sadly, many people want "religion," or at least the appearance of it, without any sacrifice.

They want more spirituality but would never miss a meal in meaningful fasting or do one act of anonymous service to achieve it.

Politics Without Principle If there is no principle, there is no true north, nothing you can depend upon. The focus on the personality ethic is the instant creation of an image that sells well in the social and economic marketplace.

You see politicians spending millions of dollars to create an image, even though it's superficial, lacking substance, in order to get votes and gain office.

And when it works, it leads to a political system operating independently of October 2016 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž23

the natural laws that should govern - that are built into the Declaration of Independence : "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness . . . . " In other words, they are describing self-evident, external, observable, natural, unarguable, self-evident laws: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident."

The key to a healthy society is to get the social will, the value system, aligned with correct principles. You then have the compass needle pointing to true north - true north representing the external or the natural law - and the indicator says that is what we are building our value system on: they are aligned.

But if you get a sick social will behind the political will that is independent of principle, you could have a very sick organization or society with distorted values. For instance, the professed mission and shared values of criminals who rape, rob and plunder might sound very much like many corporate mission statements, using such words as "teamwork," "cooperation," "loyalty," "profitability," "innovation," and "creativity."

The problem is that their value system is not based on a natural law.

Figuratively, inside many corporations with lofty mission statements, many people are being mugged in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Or they are being robbed of self-esteem, money, or position without due process. And if there is no social will behind the principles of due process, and if you can't get due process, you have to go to the jury of your peers and engage in counterculture sabotage.

In the movie The Ten Commandments, Moses says to the pharaoh, "We are to be governed by God's law, not by you." In effect he's saying, "We will not be governed by a person unless that person embodies the law."

In the best societies and organizations, natural laws and principles govern - that's the Constitution - and even the top people must bow to the principle. No one is above it.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

24Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Space Line

What it takes to be an Astronaut An Astronaut-designate Writes

“There shall be wings ! If the accomplishment is not for me, it is for some other. The spirit cannot die; and man shall have wings…”

Leonardo da Vinci Space Age is regarded to have dawned on October 4, 1957 when a man-made object, Sputnik-1, was injected into an orbit around the earth.

That day our only natural satellite, the moon, got a companion, though much closer to the earth. What followed was verily an avalanche of launches of both inanimate and animate objects by several nations.

Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961, created history by traveling in space for 108 minutes. This duration has since been dwarfed by people staying in space for days, weeks and years ! Valeri Polyakov, a Doctor-Cosmonaut now holds the record of 438 days in space during 1994-95. The youngest person (and also the second human being) to fly in space is Gherman Titov, who was just shy of 26 years when he flew in 1961. The oldest person to have flown in space is John Glenn, who was 77 when he flew in the Space Shuttle 1988.

He was also the third person and the first American to fly in space in 1962. As of now, the total number of human beings who have traveled in space is 518 from 38 countries. They are called Cosmonauts by the Russians, Astronauts by the Americans and Taikanauts by the Chinese, (and who knows, Gaganauts (gagan - sky) by the Indians?). An Astronaut/ Cosmonaut is a person trained to command, pilot or serve as a crew member in a spacecraft. In addition to professional space travel- ers, this designation now applies also to others like scientists, politicians, journalists and tourists.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines25

In the foreseeable future, there will be a new breed known as robonauts, which (or who?) are actually android robots. NASA is currently thinking of sending such a creature to the moon before long. As of this writing, a first-generation robonaut is due to leave soon for the International Space Station (ISS) where it will be made to do certain daily chores.

A trip to Mars and back, which will not be earlier than a decade yet, will last nearly three years including stay on Mars. In June 2010, Russians have taken the initiative by setting up a simulation test in Moscow with 6 volunteers. During their 520-day (corresponding to the 2-way journey alone) stay in a windowless capsule, these volunteers will be observed by researchers outside. The volunteers include 3 Russians, 1 French, 1 Chinese and 1 Italian.

This group comprises Cosmonauts, Doctors, Engineers and Researchers.

The project aims at mimicking a full mission to Mars. These guinea pigs will not, however, be subjected to weightlessness and radiation hazards, which are among the major problems for any manned mission, particularly a long journey to Mars. They will have to live on a ration of canned food without coming to blows in the 570 cubic meter module ! They cannot see their family and friends. But the crew will have video games and internet access, which, would be time-delayed up to 20 minutes depending on the simulated distance from earth. Psychologists believe that this simulation could be more demanding because the crew will not experience the euphoria of an actual space flight. After all, it is only a simulation !

In the beginning of manned space flight, the astronauts did have an aura of superhuman beings because of their very rigorous selection – so tough that only the very best and fittest pilots could ever hope to be considered at all.

Some idea of how tough those early men were and how severe their life was can be found in Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff” (1979), which deals with the first seven astronauts selected for the Project Mercury of the US. A very absorbing fictional account of the human-interest side of astronauts is given

by James Michener in his “Space” (1982).

Man’s role in space is a combination of experimenter, observer and analyzer. Since the initial manned space flights, human presence in space has become more purposeful, frequent and prolonged. Compared to the early years, the 26Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

demands of space flight on the astronauts have become somewhat less rigorous. Any normal healthy person can now aspire to fly. But even today, the astronauts who are charged with the responsibility of commanding or piloting a spacecraft come from the corps of professional (not commercial pilots) fliers from the armed forces. Yet, even others who wish to fly in space have to face certain minimum conditions associated with such a journey.

Over the years, the space capsules have undergone a complete makeover from the early years thus making space travel a little less uncomfortable. Half a dozen tourists, who had a fat enough purse, have already taken a jaunt in space.

Almost anyone willing to go poorer by about 35 million US Dollars can be a space tourist to the International Space Station ! Private companies are also now coming up with the offer of a flight lasting a few minutes at less than a tenth of this price. This is only going to be cheaper in the coming years.

Prospective astronauts are put through a battery of rigorous screening that consists of tests to ascertain their Medical Fitness, Stress Tolerance and Psychological Robustness. The first level of screening, of course, is a general medical examination by all kinds of specialists, using a variety of invasive and non-invasive tools. In view of the g-forces during lift-off and re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, and weightlessness during mostly the rest of the period, special attention is given to test Cardio-Vascular efficiency (Heart & Circulation), Pulmonary Function (Vital Power or lung efficiency) and vestibular (inner ear) response to disorientation and neuro-muscular coordination. The efficiency of these various body functions are tested using apparatus such as a Treadmill, Centrifuge, Spin Chair, Decompression Chamber, Thermal Chamber and so on – all of which would remind one of medieval torture devices. The slightest irregularity observed during these various tests is enough to disqualify a candidate-astronaut. Besides, there are various modes of acrobatics, using a real aircraft, like roll, barrel roll, loops, high-g turns and zero-g dives to check predisposition to disorientation.

Nearly one-half of the time spent on screening and selection is devoted to psychological and psychiatric evaluation. Endless psychological tests, questionnaires and interviews probe into the deep, dark crevices of one’s mind. Then there are EEG (Electro Encephalogram) test to check brain function and Isolation/Confinement test inside a dark, soundproof container for an unspecified period of time. The sole purpose of elaborate psychological evaluation is to detect even the mildest trace of aberrations and predisposition towards problems associated with isolation and confinement. Any abnormality in one member can upset the team work of the entire crew. Any one member developing unfavorable responses to the conditions prevailing in the space October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines27

capsule will become a liability to the others and, what is more, may even put the entire crew and the mission in jeopardy !

During the stay in space, one has to make do with canned food, which would look no more appetizing than brick. The dehydrated food, carried onboard for ease of long storage, has to be reconstituted before eating, by adding water and heating for about 20 – 30 minutes. Under conditions of weightlessness, elimination of body wastes like urine and faeces is not as straight-forward as on earth. The excretory muscles will function without any problem but the “matter” will not be detached from the body without assistance from vacuum devices. If not handled properly this way, there is the risk of the wastes floating in weightlessness. Sleeping is relatively easy because you don’t really need a bed nor would you insist on a preferred posture in a world where there is no “up or down”! All you need is to get inside a sleeping bag that can be securely anchored to some fixed structure inside the capsule.

Our body clock runs on the circadian (24-hour) cycle. In a near-earth orbit, one gets to see the sun rising and setting about 15 times in a 24-hour period.

But one gets used to it in time. In short, the little things we take for granted here on earth assume a strange complexion in the conditions prevailing during space flight. Living in space demands first unlearning many familiar ways and relearning new ones !

[P Radhakrishnan is a former scientist of Indian Space Research Organisation]

Be on time if you can’t be there early.

Being punctual is being honorable.

- Robin Sharma

28Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Leadership Line

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw The Legendary Soldier

There are many stories, some true and some apocryphal, about India’s legendary soldier – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. It is common knowledge that India’s victorious military campaign in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh was delayed on professional military considerations. It is delightful to revisit the anecdote in the words of the lead historian of the dramatics personae. The Field Marshal narrated this incident as a personal example of moral courage, at the inaugural Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture in October 1995 at Delhi.

There is a very thin line between being dismissed and becoming a Field Marshal. In 1971, when Pakistan cracked down in East Pakistan, hundreds and thousands of refugees started pouring into India, into West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. The Prime Minister held a Cabinet meeting in her office. The External Affairs Minister Sardar Swaran Singh, the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, the Defence Minister, Babu Jagjivan Ram and the Finance Minister, Yashwant Rao Chavan were present. I was then summoned.

A very angry, grim-faced Prime Minister read out the telegrams from the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. She then turned around to me and said, “What are you doing about it?”

And I said, “Nothing, it’s got nothing to do with me. You didn’t consult me when you allowed the BSF, the CRP and RAW to encourage the Pakistanis to revolt. Now that you are in trouble, you come to me. I have a long nose. I know what’s happening.”

I then asked her what she wanted me to do.

She said, “I want you to enter Pakistan.”

And I responded, “That means war!”

She said, “I do not mind if it is war.”

“Have you read the Bible?”, I said.

The Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh asked, “What has Bible got to do with this?”

I explained, that the first book, the first chapter, the first words, the first sentence God said was, “Let there be light” and there was light. Now you October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines29

say, “Let there be war” and there will be war, but are you prepared? I am certainly not. This is the end of April. The Himalayan passes are opening and there can be an attack from China if China gives us an ultimatum.

The Foreign Minister asked, “Will China give an ultimatum?” And I said, “You are the Foreign Minister, you tell me”. I told them that my armoured division and two of my infantry divisions were away. One in the Jhansi/Babina area, the other in Samba and the third one in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. I mentioned that I will require all the road space, all the railway wagons, the entire railway system to move these formations to the operational areas and that harvesting was in progress in the Punjab and UP and they would not be able to move the harvest which would rot; and I pointed out to the Agriculture Minister that it wouldn’t be my responsibility if there was a famine. Then I said, “My armoured division, which is my big striking force is supposed to have 189 tanks operational.

I have got only 11 tanks that are fit to fight.”

The Finance Minister, who is a friend of mine asked, “Sam why only 11?” So I told him, “Because you are the Finance Minister. I have been asking you for money for over a year and you say you haven’t got it!”

And finally I turned around to the Prime Minister and said that the rains were about to start in East Pakistan and when it rains there, it pours and when it pours, the whole countryside is flooded. The snows are melting, the rivers would become like oceans. If you stand on one bank, you can’t see the other.

All my movement would be confined to roads. The Air Force, because of climatic conditions would not be able to support me. Now Prime Minister, give me your orders. The grim Prime Minister with her teeth clenched said, “The Cabinet will meet again at four o’clock”.

The members of the Cabinet started walking out. I being the junior most was the last to go and as I was leaving, she said,”Chief, will you stay back?” I turned around and said, “Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, may I send you my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?”

She said, “Every thing you told me is true”.

“Yes! It is my job to tell you the truth” I responded, “and it is my job to fight, it is my job to fight to win and I have to tell you the truth.”

She smiled at me and said, “All right Sam, you know what I want?”

I said, “Yes, I know what you want!”

[Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lectures 1995 - 2000, Lancer Publishers & Distributors, Delhi, 2001] Three cheers to the old soldier! The only regret – I wish all of us had compulsorily read this at school, among all the mythological and faux historical fables, as a living illustration of moral courage.

30Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

General Line

Water Saving Some Tips

Changing water-use habits is easy, helps us to save money on water and electricity bills, and offers a way for the family to work together on water conservation, thereby benefitting the society as well.

Here are some tips that can be practised without sacrificing much of the comforts we already enjoy: Water Saving Habits - Indoor • 70 % of the water-use by households happens in the bathroom; 20 % in the kitchen and laundry and 5 % for cooking and drinking. A significant amount of water can be saved by changing indoor water use habits.

• Many people believe that showers are less wasteful than tub baths; however, that assumption doesn't take into account that most of us spend ten minutes or more in the shower. Since most nonconserving shower heads pour out between 6 and 10 gallons of water a minute, it can add up to a large volume. A partially filled tub uses less water than a long shower, while a short shower uses less than a full tub. Time yourself next time you take a shower. Chances are you really didn't need to stand under the spray for as long as you did. Most of us can easily cut down the amount of time we spend showering with exactly the same satisfying results.

• Avoid flushing toilet unnecessarily. Dispose off tissues, insects, waste paper and other trash in the wastebasket rather than the toilet. Think about how ridiculous it is to pour 7 gallons of water on a tiny bug or scrap of paper.

Let's assume the average family flushes the toilet unnecessarily twice each day. In a month's time, that's a waste of 420 gallons of water.

• Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face. You'll save between three and five gallons each minute your tap is turned off.

• When you wash dishes by hand, avoid letting the water run continuously.

Store water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a glass of water.

• Run full loads in your washing machine whenever possible. Most non-conserving machines use about 55 gallons of water per load.

Note: 1 cubic foot = 7.48 US gallons = 28.32 litres 1 US gallon = 3.79 litres October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines31

Water Saving Habits - Outdoor • If you maintain a large lawn, some 50 % of your water bill may be for watering your lawn! Much water (in some cases up to 42 %) can be lost to evaporation if you water the lawn between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Since less water is lost to evaporation when you water in the early morning or evening hours, you can save water considerably. To decrease your water bill, remember that most lawns do not need frequent watering • Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. Apply fertilizers which contain slow-release, water insoluble forms of nitrogen.

• Put the right plant in the right spot. Some plants thrive in full sun with minimal care. Others perform better and use less water when planted in the shade.

• Use mulch - dry leaves, wood chips etc. - to retain moisture in the soil.

Mulching also controls weeds that compete with garden plants for water.

• When landscaping, plant native or drought tolerant grasses, ground covers, shrubs etc.

Once established, they do not need to be watered frequently, and they usually can survive a dry period without any watering.

• Also adapt Xeriscape - water conservation through creative landscaping which will need Iess water than traditional land scapes.

• Don't hose down your driveway or side waIk spending precious water. Use a broom to clean leaves and other debris from these areas.

• Try not to leave the hose running while washing your car. Place the running hose on nearby trees or shrubs so that water isn't wasted. Or wash your car on the lawn using biodegradable soaps • Next time you buy a hose, consider buying one that has an inexpensive on/ off spray nose • Installing water-saving devices in your home is an inexpensive and cost-effective way to save water.

[Source: CCDU, Water Resources Department, Kerala]

We create that which we fear.

All behavior is a demonstration of our psychology. So get to work on acknowledging and then releasing your fears.

- Robin Sharma

32Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

Science Line

Energy and Power Not the Same!

In daily life, we see these words being repeated several times, in different contexts and meaning. You talk about an energetic Leader and a powerful Minister. Power of a motor is of concern to you, when you buy one. Energy shortage is much talked about.

If Energy and Power are not the same, then what does each one of these mean? Energy is the ability to do work. And Power is the rate at which energy is expended. Let us take the case of a 25 kg bag of rice to be brought from the grocer to our home, say one km away. You can entrust this work to a head load worker, or a horse cart or even a three wheeler. You are certain that each one of these options will take different duration. A horse cart can bring it faster than a head load worker. A 3-wheeler can bring it faster than a horse cart. Why? The ability of each of them to do the same job is different. The more powerful will take it home faster.

A 5 HP motor can pull the same weight faster than a single horse. If you are not powerful enough you cannot stand the weight even for a moment!! In Electricity, more work you do with it, your “energy bill’ will be higher. Energy billing is based on a measured quantity of energy [Watt Second], which is power multiplied by the time and the practical unit is kWh (kilo Watt hour). This is also called a “unit”. In Britain, it was a “Board of Trade Unit”. As an example, a 100 W bulb burning for 10 hrs consumes one unit (one kWh) of electrical energy. Incidentally, if you use a 20 W CFL which will give the same light, with one Unit you can use it for 50 hrs! In another case, a 1000 W heater if ON for one hour would consume one unit.

The power or the rate at which any entity can do work is measured in Watt. For larger power, we use the unit kW (1000 W). One Horse Power is equivalent to 746 W or 4/3 HP is 1 kW. The product of Voltage at which a work is done and the Ampere of current it ends up in, is the number of Watts of power (of course modified by circuit conditions by a factor called “power factor” - always less than 1 or 1 at the most, in an AC circuit similar to what we have at home, office and work places.)

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines33

Ecology Line

Biodiversity At Risk

The term 'biodiversity' encompasses the entire life forms on earth.

E.O.Wilson first used the term in 1986 in a report for the first American Forum on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity is often understood in terms of the diversity of species. More than 1.75 million species has been identified so far. Scientists reckon that this is hardly 15% of what exist on earth today. Biodiversity includes the genetic varieties within each species and also the variety of ecosystems like forests, wetlands and agricultural landscapes. The biodiversity we see today is a result of billions of years of evolution shaped by natural processes which forms a web life, of which man is an integral part, and upon which we so fully depend.

Species are the building blocks of ecosystems and ecosystems provide life support systems for humans. So, from an anthropocentric view, biodiversity is often signified as 'biological resource'. The way biological resources are managed can enhance or reduce the biological diversity; the decisions we make in the next few years will determine the future of both natural resources and human civilizations.

Distribution of biodiversity Biodiversity is not evenly distributed on earth. The tropics and some other localized regions are rich in biodiversity. Tropical habitats are biologically rich because they had a longer time to accumulate species.

Regions near the equator have not been repeatedly inundated by glaciers burying all forms of life, as have places like Canada, northern United States and northern Europe. On a general basis species richness fade gradually as one approaches the polar regions, often referred to as the latitudinal gradient in species diversity, a widely recognized pattern in ecology. Not only are the tropics a "museum" of species, they are also where new species are most likely to arise. Tropical regions support two-thirds of the estimated 250,000 plant species in the world. The highest plant species diversity recorded is 1175,in a 52 hectare plot in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo). Tropical forests are thought to 34ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽOctober 2016

contain 50-90 per cent of all species. Seventy percent of the world's species is found in just 12 Megadiversity countries including India.

Value of Biodiversity Various human communities have recognized the social, ethical, cultural and economic values of biodiversity resources. All species have an inherent right to exist. The ecological process that support the integrity of the biosphere and its diverse species, landscape and habitats are to be maintained to ensure the continuance of the natural ecosystems. The ecosystem services are intangible and are instrumental in regulating the composition of the atmosphere, quality of water and the persistence of biogeochemical cycles. The new approaches to economic assessment should ensure that economic values incorporate both tangible and intangible expressions of preference.

The ways of nature cannot be completely mimicked by human ingenuity and technology. For example insect pollination cannot be mimicked by man-made models. Therefore, the reservoirs of genetic traits present in the wilderness are extremely important to improve the genetic traits of the crops. Many wild traits of potato and rice have been located, collected and utilized to breed enhanced resistant varieties.

The relevance of biodiversity to human health is becoming a major international political issue in the new era of world trade and patent regimes.

A significant proportion of drugs are derived directly or indirectly from biological resources. It is estimated that 80% of the global population depends on medicines from natural resources. Many major industries in the world are sustained through basic resources derived from biological materials. Rubber, timber, pulp, dyes, and fibres are raw materials for many major industries employing millions of people world over. The recreation industry also largely depend on wilderness and coastal and wetland ecosystems.

Biodiversity Hotspots The environmentalist Norman Myers of Oxford University in U K brought in the concept of 'Biodiversity Hotspots' to prioritise conservation efforts where biodiversity is at greatest risk due to congregation of endemic plant and animal species threatened with extinction. Conservationists have identified 34 such areas in the world that require high priority conservation measures. These Hotspots harbour about 50% of all plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species in only 2.3% of the earth's land area. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka as an ecological entity are considered as one of the Biodiversity Hotspots, with more than 1500 plant and October 2016 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž35

355 vertebrate endemic species. Many of these are at the risk of extinction.

The entire shola- grassland habitats in the southern Western Ghats, 1400 m above the mean sea level (for example, Munnar and Nilgiris) can be considered a 'Hotspeck' in the Hotspot as this ecosystems harbor majority of the endemic bird species and good number of endemic plant, butterfly, amphibian and reptile species of the Western Ghats.

Conservation of Biodiversity Current processes of development are depleting many biological resources at such a rate that they are rendered essentially nonrenewable.

About 40 per cent of the 40,177 species assessed using IUCN Red List criteria are now listed as threatened species. 784 species extinction has been recorded since 1500 A D. Biological resources are lost or degraded through such activities as large scale clearing and burning of forests, over-harvesting plants and animals, indiscriminate use of pesticides, draining and filling of wetlands, destructive fishing practices, air pollution and urbanisation.

World Charter for Nature in the United Nations in 1982 agreed that all species and habitats should be safeguarded to the extent that it is technically, economically and politically feasible. Protecting species can be best done by protecting habitats. Relevant articles in the Convention on Biological Diversity during the Earth Summit in 1992 envisaged both in situ and ex situ conservation. Conservation of biological diversity needs to address both proximate and ultimate causes. Since government policies are often responsible for depleting biological resources, necessary changes in policies is the first step towards conservation. Most national governments have established legal measures for protecting biodiversity-rich habitats. In India, new approaches in the process enable local people and stakeholders to participate in conservation of resources.

Efforts to maintain and enrich the diversity of biological resources are urgently required at local, national and international levels. The combination of maintaining the maximum possible biological diversity, the maximum possible cultural diversity and a greater possible scientific endeavour seem the most sensible approach. Novel perspectives, new financial mechanisms and new policies are needed to be applied at the appropriate level of responsibilities for overall human well-being and secure biotic heritage.

[Prof. E. Kunhikrishnan, Dept. of Zoology, University College, Trivandrum] 36ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽOctober 2016

Language line

Words of Recognition Sometimes when we need inspiration most, we find ourselves unable to come up with anything better than “great” or “excellent”. Below is a list of some powerful words that have been proven to have impact and may be just what you need to give your message life. Consider using them to make your recognition more pithy and effective.

Let’s start with five core words you should always consider including: You – According to experts, “you” is the most powerful word in the English language. I reckon the translations of “you” are probably the most powerful words in every other language. Why? It makes things personal and relevant. it gets people’s attention. It also prompts you, as the writer, to really think about the verb that will follow the word “you”. “You really blew us away with the innovation you showed on the Lewis project, Tom.” Names – No, not the word “names”, but the name of the person you are talkingto. Studieshaveproventhatyourbrainlightsup whenithearsyourname.

I recommend you use names not as a salutation, but in the middle of your message, where it is more personal and less likely to be glossed over. “That was a masterful presentation that you gave on quantum theory, Nate. We were very impressed.”

Because – Because is a great word because it always precedes a proof point. It means you’re backing up what you have to say with specifics— and that makes it more credible and more powerful in prompting repeat behavior. “Mark, because of your effort to build rapport with this client, we were able to save their account.”

Thanks – It’s the classic. But you’d be surprised how few people actually use the word thanks, or thank you. This may be because it puts the speaker in a slightly more vulnerable position, admitting they are indebted. But you ARE indebted. The whole point is to acknowledge it!“Thank you for your unfailing support for new ideas, and your passion for excellence, Tom.” Results – Using the word results (result, resulting, or something like it) shows that the action your employee undertook had a measurable impact, and that you recognize their hard work in pursuit of that outcome. In October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines37

social recognition, where peers will see the message, this also lets everyone else know what an effective impact the employee has had. “The result of all of your effort, Nina, was a 25% increase in call volume over the past month.”

And here are 96 other words that I hope might help to inspire you as you write. (Some of them could fit in more than one category.)

Words for Effort Overcome, succeed, excel, achieve, grasp, generate, develop, design, productive, accomplish, volunteer, produce, discipline, create, resolve, execution, triumph, victory, complete, masterpiece, conquest, initiative, outcome Words for Quality Organize, improve, excellence, exceptional, striking, aware, brilliant, elegant, eloquent, intuitive, strong, outstanding, merit, talent, distinction Words for Attitude Thoughtful, responsible, creative, energetic, enthusiastic, resourceful, motivated, dedicated, innovative, reliable, vibrant, wise, flexible, versatile, consistent, considerate, commitment, confidence, imagination, passion, tenacity Words for Leadership Capable, oversight, vision, navigate, command, conduct, cutting-edge, star, champion, vanguard, role-model, respect, direction, insight, inspiring, admired, courageous, engaging, enterprising, invincible, masterful Words for Teamwork Help, support, benefit, advocate, save, encourage, revive, dependable, reliable, prepared, cooperation, advice, fortify, sponsor

38Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

General Knowledge line

100 General Knowledge Snippets 1. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-forprofit Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

2. The Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Report is published by World Bank every two years. The title of 2016 report was “Connecting to complete 2016“.

This report is based on the survey conducted on stakeholders for providing feedback on the logistics “friendliness” of countries in which they are established and those countries with which they have trade relations.

3.

The Government of India has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) with a corpus of Rs 500 Crore for catalysing Indian economic presence in south-east asia. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are covered under this fund.

4. NIDHI (National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovations), an umbrella program is pioneered by the Department of Science & Technology(DST), Government of India, for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups.

5.

The government of India has launched Gas4India Campaign to promote the use of natural gas in India. A large amount of India’s natural gas production comes from offshore western regions mainly the Mumbai high. Government’s aim is to harness synthetic gas from Coal Bed Methane.

6.

The FAO accords the status of ‘Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)’ to traditional agricultural systems. The overall goal of this initiative is to identify and safeguard eco-friendly traditional farm practices and their associated landscapers, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems of the local communities.

7.

District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) secure inter-sectoral and interdepartmental coordination and cooperation for effective implementation of anti-poverty programmes. DRDAs watch over and ensure effective utilisation of the funds intended for anti-poverty programme.

8.

Integrated Child Development Programme started in 1975.

9. Minimum Support price for 24 crops is given by agriculture costs & prices commission.

10. Varsha Bhima means weather insurance scheme.

11. NAFED is responsible for implementing MSP of commercial crops.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines39

12. NABARD’s primary role to provide term loans to state Cooperative Banks.

13. Government of India is implementing Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) policy with effect from April 2010. The main features of this scheme are:

a) Marketing can fix maximum MRP & farmers pay 58 to 73% and rest is borne by the Government of India

b) Additional subsidy is provided for secondary & Micro Nutrients.

14. The interest subvention scheme for farmers aims at providing short term credit to farmers at subsidised interest rate.

15. The Sarkaria Commission was set-up for the review of relation between the Centre and the States.

16. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) has the following features:

a) AAY scheme is for the identification of BPL facilities in the Targeted Public Distribution System

b) Subsided rates of food grains Rice at Rs.3 and wheat at Rs. 2 given

c) AAY cards are given by the respected state governments

d) 35 kg per month is given 17. Pancreas releases juices directly into blood streams.

18. The liver has the following functions:

a) It processes nutrient absorbed in small intestine with the digestive system b) Bile from the liver secreted into small intestine plays an important role in digestion

c) Liver performs many essential functions relating to metabolism, immunity

d) Liver is responsible for production of several vital protein components of blood plasma 19. Carcinoma group represents the most commonly found cancers in the world.

20. Chromosome 21 is the smallest Human Chromosome.

21. Sources of Vitamin B12 are dairy products and yeast extracts.

22. The Venom secreted by Scorpions is Neurotoxin.

23. Temporary hardness of water is due to the presence of bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium.

24. The enormous energy released in an atomic explosion is due to the conversion of mass into energy.

25. Soap forms a colloidal solution in water and removes the greasy matter by emulsification.

26. G4 group came into existence in 2005. G4 consists of India, Germany, Brazil and Japan. G4’s primary aim is the permanent member seats in UN Security Council.

40Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

27. “Common but differentiated responsibilities” is mantra or slogan of Kyoto Protocol.

28. The term Jet Stream Circulations implies the following:

a) Jet stream is a current of fast moving air found in the upper levels of the atmosphere somewhere between 10-15 km above the earth’s surface.

b) The position of jet stream denotes the location of the strongest surface temperature contrast.

c) Jet streams generally blow from west to east.

29. Indian peninsula is formed by very ancient rocks of gneisses and granites.

30. In the great Himalayan range, the valleys are mostly inhabited by the Bhotias who migrate to ‘Bugyals’ during summer months and return during winter months.

31. The Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas is known for dual formation which have been used for the development of tea gardens.

32. Mizoram, also known as ‘Molassis basin’ is made up of soft unconsolidated deposits.

33. Plate Tectonics Theory can be explained in a nutshell as follows:

a) Earth looked very different 200 million years ago from its present appearance.

Continents sit on blocks of the lithosphere that are in horizontal motion with respect to each other.

b) The convective currents flow on the plastic asthenosphere provide horizontal force on the plates of the lithosphere to drift apart or collide in.

34. Meghalaya plateau is sub-divided into Garo hills, Khasi hills and Jaintia hills.

Meghalaya plateau is rich in mineral resources like coal, iron ore, sillimanite, limestone and uranium.

35. Andaman and Nicobar islands receive convectional rainfall and have an equatorial type of vegetation.

36. The following factors are responsible for the determination of the climate of India:

a) Himalayan mountain b) Distribution of land and water

c) Distance of from sea d) Upper air circulation

e) Distribution of air pressure and winds on the surface of the earth

f) Inflow of Western cyclones 37. National Integration Council (NIC) was constituted in 1961 for the first time. Prime Minister is the Chairman of the National Integration Council (NIC). In 2005, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government reconstituted the National Integration Council after a gap of 12 years having held its meeting in 1992.

38. Public Debt in India includes Internal debt and External debt.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines41

39. Liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) is a fiscal policy tool. LAF is used to aid banks in adjusting their monthly mismatches in liquidity.

40. The Army has recently inducted the Akash Missile System. The missile is being developed under the integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP). It can fly at supersonic speed.

41. The Kalpsar Project for supply of sweet water is located in Gujarat.

42. Palas tree is called the ‘Flame of the Forest in Rajasthan’.

43. An air bubble in water will act like a concave lens.

44. Accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles leads to fatigue.

45. The Electoral College for the United States Presidential Election is constituted by the members of United States Congress.

46. Indian Army signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Punjab National Bank to promote defense salary package.

47. The first D.N.A. Bank of Asia is established in Lucknow.

48. Agriculture income tax is assigned to the State Government by Finance Commission.

49. High temperature and low pressure over the Indian Subcontinent during the summer season draws air from the Indian Ocean leading to the in-blowing of the Southwest monsoon.

50. The hypo solution used in photography is the aqueous solution of Sodium thiosulphate.

51. Prem Vatika, poems on the life of Krishna, was composed by Raskhan.

52. Japan launched the World’s first satellite dedicated to monitoring “greenhouse gas emissions”.

53. National Water Development Agency was established in the year 1982.

54. Khasi language belongs to the Austric group.

55. Bio-magnification means increasing the amount of pesticides in the organisms of successive trophic level.

56. “Endoscope” used by Doctors for examining the inside of the patient’s stomach, works on the principle of total internal reflection of light.

57. The symbol of World Wild-life Fund is Red Panda.

58. The Palk Bay lies between Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal.

59. Under Article 355 of the Indian Constitution, the duty of the Union Government is to protect States against external aggression and internal disturbance.

42Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

60. To control price hikes and push pulse production, CEA panel has released report titled-“Incentivizing Pulses Production through MSP and other policies”. The following statements are the recommendation made under this report:

a) The report recommends promoting GM-technology in pulse production.

b) It recommends the government to build a large buffer stock up to 2 million tons with targets for individual pulses.

c) Advised the Government of India to announce higher MSP for pulses specially Chana, Rabi and Tur. 61. The great Victoria Desert is located in Australia.

62. The intersecting lines drawn on maps and globes are geographic grids.

63. The groundwater can become confined between two impermeable layers. This type of enclosed water is called artesian.

64. The hydrological cycle is a conceptual model that describes:

a) the storage of water between biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere b) the movement of water between biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere 65. The largest country of the world by geographical area is Russia.

66. The heavy day soils that show significant expansion and contraction due to the presence or absence of moisture is called vertisols.

67. Russia & China have largest electrified railway network in the world.

68. Karen people are ethnic groups found in Myanmar and Thailand.

69. Zawar mines which are principal source of Lead Zinc ore in India are located in Rajasthan.

70. The following statements are related to the Jataka tales:

a) It is a collection of tales belonging to the pre-Buddhist period give us a revealing glimpse into a period when the fusion between the Aryan and the Dravidian races had been almost completed.

b) It gives us the periods of rule and genealogies of dynasties of kings.

71. The following statements are correct about Panini’s great grammar the Ashtadhyayi:

a) It was most probably composed towards the 4th century BC.

b) It was stated that with Panini the language attained its highest state of development and thereafter there was improvement only in its vocabulary.

72. Charter Act of 1793 is associated with “Courts can interpret the rules and regulations.”

73. The first statute for the governance of India, under the direct rule of the British Government, was the Government of India Act, 1858.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines43

74. State Finance Commission is responsible for revenue sharing between the state government and the local government.

75. Division of powers and independent judiciary are the two important features of federal form of government.

76. Rational Investor Ratings Index (RIRI) was introduced in Economic Survey 2014-15. RIRI combined two elements:

a) growth, which crucially determines rewards and returns

b) macroeconomic stability 77. The Economic Survey 2014-15 states that the JAM Number Trinity - Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile numbers allows the state to offer support to poor households in a targeted and less distorted way.

78. “An Enquiry into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations” book is written by Adam Smith.

79. The new scheme “Pahal” by the Government of India is related to Direct Benefits Transfer for LPG (DBTL).

80. The tributaries of Brahmaputra are Dibang,Kameng and Lohit.

81. In the context of the developments in Bioinformatics, the term ‘transcriptome’, refers to the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism.

82. The aim of ‘Green India Mission’ is restoring and enhancing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

83. ‘Net metering’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers.

84. The objectives of the ‘Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR)’ announced by RBI are:

a) These guidelines help improve the transparency in the methodology followed by banks for determining the interest rates on advances.

b) These guidelines help ensure availability of bank credit at interest rates which are fair to the borrowers as well as the banks.

85. ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)’, initiative represent the following:

a) It is a global initiative that focuses on drawing attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity.

b) It presents an approach that can help decision-makers recognize, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystems and biodiversity.

86. ‘Red Sanders’ is a term used for a tree species found in a part of South India. It is one of the most important trees in the tropical rain forest areas of South India.

87. The purpose of Government’s ‘Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme’ and ‘Gold Monetization Scheme’ are:

a) To bring the idle gold lying with Indian households into the economy

b) To reduce India’s dependence on gold imports 44Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

88. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency Star Label can be found in:

a) Ceiling fans b) Electric geysers

c) Tubular fluorescent lamps 89. In the cities of our country the following atmospheric gases are normally considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index:

a) Carbon monoxide b) Nitrogen dioxide

c) Sulfur dioxide 90. Recently, for the first time in our country, Maharashtra State has declared a particular butterfly as ‘State Butterfly’.

91. The main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907 was examrace.com extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government.

92. Recently, Rajasthan has explored the possibility of constructing an artificial inland port to be connected to sea by a long navigational channel.

93. The Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015 aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

94. There has been a persistent deficit budget year after year. The following actions can be taken by the Government to reduce the deficit:

a) Reducing revenue expenditure b) Rationalizing subsidies 95. The ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’ aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.

96. In India, the steel production industry requires the import of coking coal.

97. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

98. ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’, is an agenda for women’s empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations.

99. The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

100. The ‘fly ash’ produced by the power plants using coal as fuel, has the following uses: a) Fly ash can be used in the production of bricks for building construction.

b) Fly ash can be used as a replacement for some of the Portland cement concrete.

October 2016 Executive Knowledge Lines45

Subscription Form (For New or Renewal)*(Please tick your choice) Print Version: Through post Rs 400 for 1 year** No of subscriptions: Name/Organization:..........................................................................................

Subscriber ID No. (for renewal only):................................................................

Address:............................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................... ..........................................................PIN:..........................................................

Phone:...............................................Mob:........................................................ e-mail:.................................................................................................................

I am enclosing DD/Cheque***No:......................................dt........................... drawn on...............................................................bank for Rs......................... in favour of 'EKL' payable at Trivandrum For NEFT transfer of funds: IFS code: PUNB0362400, A/c No.: 362400 21000 11040, Punjab National Bank, Statue, Trivandrum 695 001. [*For new subscription, renewal or change of address, use the same form. ** Includes annual handling charges. ***Kindly add Rs 50 for outstation cheques. ]

Date:

Signature

For EKL office use: Entered in Register as No:.........................dt.......................

Subscription period:............................................................................................

Please send to: EKL, Knowledge House, Mathrubhumi Road, Trivandrum 695 035, India. Ph: 91 471 247 2928

Subscribe Easy 1. Send SMS 'ekl' to 94470 61316 OR 2. email to eklines@gmail.com ; Subject: subscribe ekl 02032016

46Executive Knowledge LinesOctober 2016

The Last Word Try not to become a man of success.

But rather try to become a man of value.

-Albert Einstein Owned, Edited, Printed, and Published by N T Nair, 186, PTP Nagar, Trivandrum 695 038 Printed by Akshara Offset, TC 25/ 3230(1), Vanchiyoor, Trivandrum 695 035 Published at Trivandrum. Editor: N T Nair October 2016 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž47

Executive Knowledge Lines monthly Registered

RNI No. KERENG/2005/16316 Posting Date: 11th & 12th of every month Date of Publishing: 8-10-2016 Posted at: RMS, Trivandrum

Follow us on

/muthootindia

Postal Regn. No. KL/TV(S)/316/2014-2016 Licenced to post without prepayment Licence No. KL/TV(S)/WPP/48/2014-2016